Natalie, Casey, and Oscar unexpectedly welcomed Baby Olivia Mercedes into the world on December 26, 2017 at 32 weeks. Despite a normal pregnancy, Natalie went into pre-term labor. With the great care of her midwifery team, Natalie had a quick and normal delivery of Olivia at Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP). Upon delivery, however, it was clear that Baby Olivia has a rare skin disorder. We are still learning about her condition. Quickly after birth she was air transported to the NICU at UCSF where she is currently undergoing intensive care with multiple teams of doctors. Although she has the best teams of doctors and nurses, her health status is changing hour-by-hour. Olivia is currently intubated in the NICU and is in an isolette in strict isolation.

Already expenses are mounting for this family of four as they navigate insurance, housing/lodging, food, traveling/parking in an expensive city far away from home.

Natalie and Casey are working with social workers to figure out housing while Olivia is undergoing treatment at UCSF. As of right now, it is anticipated that she will be needing intensive care for several months.

Oscar is excited to meet his little sister and Casey and Natalie are eagerly awaiting the day that they can hold their baby girl!

I am happy to help coordinate any communication with Natalie and Casey at this time. As you can expect, they are taking in a lot of information hour-by-hour and are grateful for your support.